Video Games

11.05.10

Debunked: Microsoft Kinect Not 'Racist'

Microsoft’s new gaming system, the Kinect, is not “racist,” as a gaming site suggested Thursday when it reported that the system’s facial-recognition feature did not recognize dark-skinned employees. Consumer Reports tested the claim and found that “The log-in problem is related to low-level lighting and not directly to players' skin color.” It says, “Essentially, the Kinect recognized both players at light levels typically used in living rooms at night and failed to recognize both players when the lights were turned down lower. So far, we did not experience any instance where one player was recognized and the other wasn't under the same lighting conditions.”